Florida State gets commitment from Georgia linebacker

April 27, 2011|By Coley Harvey, Orlando Sentinel

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida State's 2012 recruiting class continues to take shape. Two days after receiving a commitment, the Seminoles got another Wednesday when Georgia linebacker Ukeme Eligwe accepted their offer.

A four-star outside linebacker at metropolitan Atlanta's Stone Mountain High, Eligwe holds 17 offers. All but six are from SEC and ACC schools.

Like Taylor, Eligwe was at FSU last weekend meeting with coaches and getting a look at the facilities around Doak Campbell Stadium. He enjoyed what he saw.

"Everything went well and how I expected it," Eligwe said. "It was an overall overwhelming experience."

One of the factors that swayed him was FSU's College of Criminology. He has already pegged that as his expected major; one that some of the other schools on his list didn't have.

Another reason he was sold on the Seminoles? His mother.

"My mom connected with (coach) Jimbo Fisher very well," Eligwe said.

Although those factors got Eligwe to give a commitment, they may not be enough to get him dressed in garnet and gold. When asked if this now meant he was fully sold to FSU and wouldn't be looking around, Eligwe balked slightly.

"I'm pretty much down with Florida State right now," he said. "I'll take some official visits and that's pretty much it. But I'm pretty sure a couple of other schools will still be on me. So I'll probably keep a few doors open, but for right now, I'm Florida State."

He said he hoped to take an official visit this fall once the Seminoles' season starts.

As far as what he does well, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound linebacker credited his on-field instinctiveness, sideline-to-sideline play and ability to understand defenses as pluses.

With Eligwe, the Seminoles now have eight commitments from players with four- or five-star ratings from various recruiting services. Only Taylor, at three-star, holds a lower rating. This past February, FSU landed what most services called the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation.